Whatcha thinkin ‘bout?
Worshipping the Almighty All-Nighter
Somewhere along the way, agencies decided that the more you suffer, the better the work. The late nights, the seventh round of “quick tweaks,” the group Slack chat that never sleeps, all of it celebrated like a badge of honor.
The AI Debate: Process vs. Product
Every few years, designers panic like it’s the end of the world. People who think design means picking a PowerPoint template are writing think pieces about creativity’s demise. But the more I hear about the future of design, the more I think about its past.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
It usually starts with silence. A designer hears the brief, nods, disappears, and reemerges four days later with something beautiful, emotional, cinematic, and completely wrong.
Your Brand Has a Great Personality
People don’t connect with brands because they follow a branding process™. No one falls in love with your award-winning framework, pixel-perfect layout, or round six of stakeholder-approved messaging.
The Elusive Muse
The muse doesn’t wait by the phone. She’s not on standby for your 10 am brainstorm or your color-coded spreadsheet. She's a cruel mistress. She shows up when she wants, and only if you've been paying attention. Because inspiration doesn’t live in your calendar. It lives in your life.
Career Day
We spend our days strategizing, designing, coding, and generally trying to look like we know what we’re talking about on video calls. But if you ask our families to describe what we do, you get answers that are brutally honest, only partially wrong, and way more interesting than our actual résumés.
Take It In Stride
I could say interning at FoxFuel has felt like a marathon, but honestly, that’s just because I’ve also been training for one. This summer has been a double feature: prepping for my longest race and diving headfirst into the world of design. Surprisingly, the overlap between the two isn’t as thin as I’d hoped.
From the Alumni of the School of Hard Knocks
Graduating from design school gives you the tools—but real-world success comes from the tricks you pick up after the tassel turn. After a decade in the creative field, I’m sharing a few practical tips I wish someone had handed me on day one (before I accidentally sent an attachment-less email to a client).
Nice to meet you, Addi
Most Nashvillians are not from here originally. Addi grew up as a missionary kid in the Philippines, spending childhood days dodging jungle animals and running wild in the mountain tribes of Mindanao. Some say it was the perfect training for producing and project management.
What a bunch of hacks.
People who have worked at agencies often say that two years can feel like ten. It’s a period filled with learning and adapting. What can we say? We’re overachievers. Along the way, we’ve gained some valuable wisdom and advice for those who lead well-adjusted lives. Here are ten of our best life hacks.
